


Friends and Lovers and Mudgie Too

by mcgarrygirl78



Series: Who Wants to Live Forever [2]
Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drama, Friendship, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-27
Updated: 2013-07-27
Packaged: 2017-12-21 11:55:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/900021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Something would have to give soon.  Having it be her sanity wasn’t an option.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friends and Lovers and Mudgie Too

**Author's Note:**

> This story is written in the supernatural Blood of my Blood universe and follows events after the fic Soulless.

The doorbell rang and Mudgie began to bark like crazy. He jumped out of his dog bed, rushing over to the door. Erin’s stomach dropped. She’d had the retriever for three weeks and he’d never responded to the bell that way. He could bark that was sure, but never so loudly.

“Calm down, Mudge.” Erin took hold of his black leather collar, a gift from Roy Woodbridge. She looked out of her peephole and sighed. Then she opened the front door. “David, what are you doing here?”

“Good evening to you too.” Senator David Rossi, looking dapper in his black slacks and maroon dress shirt, grinned. Erin didn’t look too bad either. He hadn’t seen her that casual in a long time but the look suited her. The oversized sweater thing was always sexy on her.

“Good evening. What are you doing here?”

“I came to talk to you.”

Erin stood in the doorway. She was blocking his entry. She wasn’t in the mood for company and that went double for David. “Funny how I've asked you a few times what you're doing here and haven’t gotten a straight answer. We can talk about that if you’d like.”

“I wanted to see how you were doing, Erin; c'mon. That’s a cute dog.”

“Thank you.” She sighed and let him in. Erin hoped she didn’t regret this. She’d planned on a relatively quiet Monday night at home. Those plans suddenly seemed shot to hell.

“Is he a Chesapeake Bay retriever?” Dave asked. “Is he a he?”

“He's a boy, and he is a Chesapeake Bay retriever. I didn’t know you knew dogs.”

“I know a lot of things. I had a few retrievers as a kid; they were perfect dogs for my adventure seeking ways. What's his name?”

“It’s Mudgie.” Erin crossed her arms.

“Hey Mudgie.” Dave put out his hand.

The dog looked at him suspiciously. Then he barked and looked at Erin. She smiled.

“Its OK Mudgie. I think you can take him.”

“I'm not gonna bite. C'mere Mudgie; I just wanna say hello.”

Mudgie sniffed the air. He gingerly stepped toward Dave, smelling his hand. Dave didn’t move because he knew that Mudgie wasn’t an ordinary dog. When he was close enough, and calm, Dave petted his head. Mudgie accepted the affection. Soon he was crouched down, petting him and talking to him in that way that men sometimes talked to dogs. Erin hid her smile but it was incredibly adorable.

“Where did you get him?” Dave asked.

“Derek and I went to a farm and picked him out. He picked me out actually.”

“Are you talking about Derek Morgan?”

“Yes.” Erin nodded.

“You two are getting friendlier by the day.” He stood and watched Mudgie go back to his dog bed. Apparently Dave was deemed safe.

“Derek and I are friends. There's a lot going on; a lot of changes in my life. It’s been a roller coaster ride for me. Derek has been there without fail. He's been a bright light through a dark and scary tunnel. I appreciate his friendship and guidance.”

“Are you two more than friends?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Erin laughed but it was mirthless. “You came all the way over here to ask if I was fucking Derek Morgan? There is no possible scenario where that could be any of your business. God David, some things never change.”

“Derek Morgan is good at what he does, no doubt about that. He's also a ladies man. Committed relationships aren’t his thing.”

“Just get out. Get out!” she pointed to the door.

“Erin, I'm just…I didn’t come here to fight.”

“Then what the hell are you here for? You said hello, you petted my dog, you insulted me and someone I consider a friend. What are your plans for an encore?”

“I was thinking about dinner.”

Dave held up the large paper bag he was carrying. He memorized the look on Erin’s face. It was a combination of skepticism, anger, and disbelief. She didn’t get a chance to say anything because her phone started vibrating on the dining room table. She walked away from him.

“Hey Morgan, you're on speaker.” Erin glanced back at Dave.

“Woman, I've got it.”

“You’ve got what?”

“I now have in my possession two 17th century Toledo rapiers. I had been looking for months and an old friend finally got back to me with a line on some coming up for auction at Christie’s. Guess who the highest bidder was?”

“Oh…wow.” Erin couldn’t even pretend to hide her enthusiasm. She was breathless just thinking about them.

“Do you wanna play?” Morgan asked.

“Yes.” She nodded, still breathless. 

“What are you doing on Thursday? You can come over here and get all hot and sweaty. We’ll switch roles…you be the master and I’ll be the student.”

“I don’t believe you to be uneducated in the ways of fencing.” Erin said.

“I'm sure there are so many more things you can teach me. I'm a humble guy…I don’t mind being dominated by the right person.”

“Are you going to feed me?” she asked.

“What kind of bum lets a woman work up a sweat and doesn’t replenish her? There will be top of the line pizza and mediocre beer.”

“That sounds good to me.” Erin smiled. “I actually have a late afternoon meeting on Thursday but I can be to you by seven.”

“You should bring Mudgie too.” Derek said. “He and Clooney can play together while we do.”

“I will. See you then.”

“Bye Erin.”

She put the phone down and sighed. Erin wanted to turn back and give Dave a piece of her mind but she was so tired. She’d been tired for months. Something would have to give soon. Having it be her sanity wasn’t an option. 

Erin thought it might be impossible to continue training, learning, and being the Unit Chief of the BAU. Two of those things she couldn’t give up. The third had been her life for a long time. There had to be a loophole somewhere but she wasn’t sure she would find it before passing out of exhaustion.

“Was that for my benefit?” Dave asked.

“That you even think it was…” Erin ran her hands over her face. The man was unbearable. He wanted to get a rise out of her but she wouldn’t let him. “You said you were thinking about dinner. What did you bring?”

“12 oz. sirloin, lobster, brown rice, and asparagus. I wanted to cook for you.”

“You wanted to cook for me?”

“Yes.” Dave nodded. “It’s been such a long time since I had a relaxing night in. I had a feeling that you were thinking the same. I brought sirloin.”

“There's the kitchen.” Erin pointed.

She went back to the table to finish working on the files she brought home from Quantico. Mudgie got up from his dog bed, walking over and rubbing against Erin’s leg. She probably needed to walk him. That was another thing to get used to; walking the dog twice a day. Erin Strauss had never in her life been a dog person but that didn’t matter. She and Mudgie were partners now. Like everything else she endeavored, Erin would put 150% into being his master.

“I need to walk the dog.” She said.

“Do you have any extra virgin olive oil?” Dave asked.

“It’s in the cabinet beside the stove. I'm going to walk the dog but I will be back. I know where everything in this house is, David. If anything looks or feels out of place, I'm stabbing you.”

“Aggravated assault on a Watcher is quite an egregious offense.” He’d already began to cut, season, and boil. Dave didn’t take her threat seriously. He had been on the other end of the backside of Erin’s hand once so he knew she could be aggressive when she wanted. She was just mad at him, and he was used to that.

“C'mon Mudgie, let’s go for a walk.”

Dropping her phone in the pocket of her lounge pants, Erin went over to the front door. She slipped into her New Balance sneakers and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. In the closet she grabbed a windbreaker and then snapped Mudgie’s leash onto his collar. Erin checked one more time on Dave, who was now singing Dean Martin to himself. She rolled her eyes and left the condo.

***

“You touched something.”

“Turning on good music doesn’t count.” He shook his head. “You’ve never turned down Anita Baker.”

“The wine is delicious.” Erin sipped the Pinot Grigio.

“I picked out a Marco Felluga Riservia. I remembered that you're quite fond of a good white wine. You also love Grey Goose martinis with three olives.”

Erin nodded. She wasn’t impressed that he remembered what she liked to drink. Dave Rossi had a PhD in Womanizing 101. Making notes of favorite flowers, scents, and drinks was elementary. If he told her what her third favorite movie was then maybe Erin would be impressed.

“I never remember you being fond of mediocre beer.” He said.

“You don’t know me as well as you think, David.”

“And Derek Morgan does?” he asked.

“Why are you so stuck on what Morgan and I are doing? It’s none of your business.”

“I just don’t want you to get hurt, Erin.”

“That’s not your concern.” She looked down at her plate.

“Just because we’re no longer together doesn’t mean I don’t care. I've always cared.”

“We haven’t been together in over 20 years. Look, the dinner was an incredibly nice gesture. I want to know what you're doing here and you have 60 seconds to tell me the truth. I’ll set Mudgie to maim if you don’t.”

“Please stop threatening me.” Dave said.

“I want you to stop lying to me. We've known each other for too long and contrary to your own press, you're not that good at it. So just talk to me.”

“I'm worried about you, and that’s the truth. You're in a whole new world, Erin. It’s dirty dangerous, and can be deadly. You're still learning about all of that. New immortals are most vulnerable in the first two years of their new lives. I just…I don’t want to lose you. You make the world a better place.”

“I hate being an immortal.” Erin said. “Maybe I won't always feel that way but I do right now. All of this has turned my life upside down. I've been dealing with it the best I can…what choice do I have. I keep thinking about my family; how do I tell my children that I’ll probably outlive them. 

“I keep worrying that someone will come and cut my head off for a trophy. I wonder how in the hell I'm going to balance this immortal thing with being in the BAU. Nothing will ever be the same again. That may sound dramatic but you of all people know how true it is. 

“I don’t even know how to begin to get used to it. Without Morgan, I doubt I’d even know which way was up. I rejected his help for as long as I could. I had to get smart about it. I had to get smart about a lot of things.”

They sat in silence eating their meal. Erin hadn’t said any of that out loud before. It didn’t seem to ease the constant feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach. Morgan told her that would fade with time. She’d been wearing the Strauss mask since the day she died. She’d been wearing it for 50 years. 

Just because the whole world was suddenly different didn’t mean it would be easy to change with it. Erin had almost told Derek these things a million times but it wouldn’t come out. He had enough on his plate. Carrying her burden wasn’t fair to him. He’d been too good to her for Erin to do that.

“That’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.” Dave said.

“What?”

“You're not alone out there. There are people to provide a support system. I'm not just talking about other immortals.”

“Alright.” Erin nodded. She knew that he was talking about Watchers. She knew now that he was one of them. She’d also watched enough _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ and _Highlander_ with her kids to have some idea of what they did.

“The first thing I need to tell you is that it’s alright to tell your mother.”

“What?” she looked at him with wide blue eyes.

“I know that you hate only getting bits and pieces of information. “ Dave said. “I apologize because that’s how it has to be for now. Just trust me about your mother. She's understood and supported you through everything. She’ll support you through this too. 

“That should help you in not feeling so alone. Secondly, you can be an immortal and Unit Chief of the BAU. It won't be easy but it’s possible. Thirdly, you're going to meet someone soon who will lift some of the burden. People are working on your case.”

“I'm sure in this vast world that my problems are like one star in the sky.” Erin said.

“If one star goes dark, the entire sky is different. It doesn’t go unnoticed.”

Erin cut her steak. It was medium, tender, and delicious. She could hardly believe that Dave cooked most of the meal while she was out with Mudgie. It had been a while since Erin ate something that didn’t come from a Lean Cuisine box. That was one of the few things that had nothing to do with being an immortal. Perhaps with more time on earth she might actually learn to cook.

“I want to be friends, Erin. You might not think that I deserve it, and maybe I don’t, but I'm asking anyway. There will be no funny business, I promise.”

“Why?” Erin asked.

“Because you don’t have to go through anything alone. I'm someone who knew you before and I can know you after. I straddle both worlds as well. I just want to help.”

“Swear to me that you will never ask me about my relationship with Derek Morgan again.”

“I swear.”

“Swear on Carolyn…I want to know you're telling the truth.”

“I swear on Carolyn,” Dave put his hand over his heart. “God rest her soul.”

“Alright.” She nodded.

“Do you mean that or are you just saying it to shut me up?” he asked.

“I have much better ways to shut you up, David Rossi.”

“That is very, very true. That would violate the no funny business rule though.”

“We’re doing rules this go round?” Erin raised her eyebrow. “I might like this.”

“Be gentle.” Dave smiled and ate some lobster.

“Rule #1, no lies. No lies period, end of sentence. Whatever you think you might be protecting me from, you're not. If I find out that you lied to me about anything then we’re through.”

“OK.” He nodded.

“Rule #2, no funny business. Rule #3, we call before showing up at each other’s houses.”

“Do I get to make up any of these rules?”

“You can have four and five.” Erin replied. “I'm sure you already have something in mind.”

“I need to think about it.” Dave said. “Give me a few days; I know I can come up with two good ones. I appreciate you doing this Erin.”

“I don’t even know if I am yet. I can't let you take me down roads I've been down before. I'm not the same woman and this isn’t the same world.”

“It’s all new. Why can't we be too?”

Erin held up her glass of wine, which she would definitely be refilling before the night was over. “I’ll drink to that.”

***


End file.
